Howdy folks, how's it going?

I have to admit, when I wrote the last chapter, I thought for some reason that the next update would only be next week, so my well wishes for the holidays turned out to be a bit premature. But hey, it's the thought that counts, am I right?

Anyway, as always, shout out to Chaos for his help with my stories.

And as always, I do not own either BNHA nor WH40K.

Now, enjoy the last chapter of 2024.

/

"Welp…" Izuku muttered, glancing down at the address jotted down on the piece of paper in his hand, and then glancing up. "Guess dis'z dah place."

Before him, stood one of the many, tightly packed, neon-sign covered buildings of the Narushada district, and one that managed to look surprisingly nondescript despite all the color. It made sense, he supposed. Lady Nagant was the kind of hero that didn't really have a fixed agency, instead roaming around the country depending on where she was needed, and this likely just so happened to be the safehouse she was shacking up at right now, which was fortunate in way, since he didn't really fancy the thought of an even longer trip.

His musings were interrupted by his instincts screaming at him, making him look further up, towards the building's roof. Nothing there, but he had the feeling he had just barely missed whoever had been following him since he had left the train.

Ah well, something to take up with the temporary Boss Lady when they met up. And speaking of…

Without further delay, the green-haired boy grabbed his luggage and entered the building, barely sparing a glance to the nondescript lobby and stairwell as he made his way up to his intended floor, and the nondescript door with his intended number on it.

For once, Izuku refrained from kicking the door open, if only because leaving himself wide open while potentially surprising a person with built-in shootas struck him as somewhat unwise, and instead knocked roughly.

"It's open." A voice called from the other side, and so the boy did… and blinked as he did.

Inside was a fairly simple, if spacious apartment, an entire wall comprised of glass (tinted, likely bullet-proof, he noted) windows, leading to a small balcony, made for a clear view to the city beyond. Other than that, there wasn't much of note, other than the motion to the side that drew him to an area turned into a makeshift office… and he couldn't help but blink owlishly. Besides all the usual amenities you'd expect to find in an office, that was a lot of posters and figurines of kittens, puppies, mascots and other sundry things people might consider cute…

And there she was, standing amidst them, leaning slightly on the desk as she considered him with an evaluating stare, clad in her hero suit, a practical ensemble with light body armor, arms left bare for obvious reasons, and that purple visor over her right eye.

Izuku was man enough to admit that it took him a lot of effort to not squeal, like the fanboy he was also man enough to admit he was, out loud.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the big winner of this year's U.A. Festival. The rising star among the first years, or so I heard." Lady Nagant stated mildly, looking at him as if she couldn't quite decide whether he was brave or stupid. "And even with all of that, you actually accepted my offer. Gotta admit, I didn't quite believe it when I was told you would. Some might even say it wasn't your smartest choice, kid."

Izuku blinked, not quite sure how to reply to that, before glancing from the heroine to the nearest window panel, which was open.

"…You'ze dah one wot'z been trackin' me, wuzn't ya?" He asked, earning him a slight smirk from the woman.

"So you did notice." She commented, nodding approvingly. "Not that I was trying particularly hard to be stealthy, but still impressive, you've got good instincts, kid. I suppose that means you've passed my first test. Situational awareness is a vital skill in our line of work."

Izuku grinned at the praise, but didn't reply, silence stretching out for a bit, before the heroine lightly cleared her throat and stood up. "Well, you obviously know who I am, and I know who you are, so I guess we can skip the introductions, and get right down to business."

"Aye aye, Boss!" The green-haired boy replied immediately, with a sudden excitement that seemed to briefly surprise the woman. Boss…?

"Jeez, someone's feeling eager, uh?" She couldn't help but comment dryly, the boy's nodding in reply looking more akin to headbanging, which made for an amusing sight. "I did hear that you were a fan, I suppose. Should I be expecting you to pester me for an autograph? Be warned, I haven't signed many of those lately, my signature may be a bit off."

"Nah, no need, I'z already got me one'a yourz." He dismissed, as close to politely as he could sound, and Nagant could only curiously raise an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, really? Looked up one of my old ones at an online auction or something? Didn't know they sold for anything, honestly." She commented, her words self-deprecating, but spoken in the light tone of someone who was genuinely unbothered.

"Uh, nah, not really, you'ze gave it tah me yerself." Izuku replied truthfully, giving the heroine, one of his biggest idols, a considering look. "Glad tah see you'ze seem bettah now, ya looked real sad dat day."

For a moment, one so brief and yet feeling so incredibly long, the woman simply stared, her easy smirk slipping from her face to give room to uncomprehending confusion.

She may have said it in good humor, but the truth of it was that that Lady Nagant hadn't signed a single autograph since… since…

Kaina's eyes went wide as suddenly, that nagging sense of familiarity in the back of her mind came rushing forward with all the crushing weight of an avalanche, and as if a fog had been lifted, everything just clicked.

/

Come on, Kaina, keep it together, keep it together. You are fine.

You are supposed to be a hero, and you are on patrol. Heroes don't see blood on their hands. Heroes don't freak out because of delusions when fans come asking for autographs. And Heroes most certainly do not to desperately struggle to not have a goddamn panic attack!

Keep it together, Kaina. You are fine! You NEED to be fine…

Slowly, but steadily, the heroine managed to center herself, wrestling her heavy breathing back under control. Fortunately, even in her rushed escape, she had had enough presence of mind to make some sort of halfway believable excuse, and hide away from the public in an alley. It wouldn't do anyone any favors to see a hero like her in such a state. Because of course the masses had to be kept in complete ignorance of the sacrifices that were being made to keep them safe, all for their own good, and damn the consequences for the ones that actually have to pay and…

She shook her head, trying to keep the dark thoughts from settling in the wake of her panic. She had to believe the reassurances of her superiors, she had to believe that she was helping to protect innocent people, she had to. Or else…

She looked down at her hands. Mercifully, she didn't see any blood this time, but she still felt it…

You're fine, you're fine, you're fine, you're fine…

But despite all her efforts to convince herself, Kaina knew that she was not. At all. She felt trapped, with no way out, and deep down inside, she knew it was only a matter of time until something gave…

Sooner rather than later even, the darker part of her couldn't help but whisper as she made her way back to the main streets to resume her patrol, knowing full well that there'd be another "assignment" for her later tonight-

"OOOOOHHHH!"

"Gah!" Kaina couldn't help but rather unheroically cry out in flat-footed shock as she finally registered a small form blitzing towards her, taking all of her self-restraint to not immediately take aim at the intruder before she could actually see that it was a kid.

"YOU'ZE LADY NAGANT!" The boy, short, freckled, green-haired, said loudly, looking up at her with a look of pure wonder. It made her feel dirty, to see such an adoring, underserved, ignorant look turned her way…

Dammit, Kaina, really? Bad enough to freak out while talking to the civvies, but being so out of it you let one kid get the drop on you is a new low…

Forcing the smile that had been trained into her onto her face, centering herself as much as she could, Kaina got down on one knee so that her eyes were level with the kid's.

"Yep, that's me alright." She replied with a chipper grin. "You a fan, kid?"

"Zog yeah, I am! I'z yer biggest fan!" The boy replied, sounding so excite he might start vibrating, and ignoring her brief confusion at the weird word and accent, suddenly pulled out a small note book and a pen. "Can I haz your autograph?! And can I'z see yer shootah? And can I haz one'a yer hair dakka?! I'd really like tah see if I'z can make somethin' like it!"

…Ooooook, a loony, gun-nut fan at this age, that was new. And probably not very good for her rep if the media or her higher ups found out.

"Uuuuuuhhh, sorry kid, I'm afraid it's no can do on those last two." She replied, a smile a bit strained and uncertain. "But I can get you that autograph, at least?"

"Aawwww," The boy replied, deflating a bit in disappointment before handing over the notebook and pen. "Ah well, I'll take wot I can haz."

"Alright then, so, what's your name, kid?" She asked, desperately not trying to think of blood on her hands as she prepared to write.

"Izuku Midoriya!" Came the chipper reply. "Yer biggest fan!"

Not if you actually knew anything about what I do, kid…

"Ok, so… "To Izuku Midoriya, my biggest fan"" She stated as she wrote, before handing back the book to the boy, who was looking at the object with something uncomfortably akin to reverence. "Here ya go!"

"Ooowwaaahh, I'z got Lady Nagant'z autograph…" He all but whispered, holding the notebook tight against his chest. "Thank you'ze so much, dis gun be a centah piece fer my collecshoon!"

Before Kaina could say anything in reply though, the boy suddenly leveled a look at her, one that wasn't chipper or excited, but rather considering, and even uncomfortably… concerned?

"Say, tho, are you'ze alroigt?"

What in the…

"Sure, kid, I'm fine." She replied, her reassuring smile extremely strained even as she tried to sound confused and nonchalant. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You'ze dun look fine, tho." He said, clearly not convinced. "You'ze look sad…"

…Keep it together, Kaina. Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together! You CANNOT possibly be doing so badly that you're about to fall apart in front of 7-year old, so obviously that he's picking up on it…

"…Eh, I'm just feeling a bit tired, kid. Being a hero can be quite tough on you at times." She replied, a bit more honestly than she had intended, and just barely keeping the trembling from her voice. "It's all worth it to help people, though."

It had to be, it just had to…

"I mean, yeah, but who'z helping you'ze?"

…Dammit, dammit, dammitdammitdammit-

"It's not… I wish it was that simple, kid." She said wearily, mentally screaming at herself for letting her mask slip so much. "It's… it's not something I can get help for."

"Why not, ya tried askin?" He insisted. "I bet All Moigt culd help. Who bettah tah help heroes dan dah bezt of dem all?"

…Kaina didn't reply. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to think, it was taking all of her training, all that she could muster, to not just break down in front of a civilian…

And before her mind could catch up, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the main street, frantically for the boy's name.

"Oh whoops, dat'z me mah. I gotta go!" He said with a start, running in the call's direction. "Bye, Lady Nagant, gud luck wiff everythin'!"

Kaina didn't reply, just watching the weird kid go. And even when the kid was out of sight, she just stood there, looking in that direction, for a very long time.

It wasn't until her comm suddenly crackled to life that she finally snapped back to awareness.

'Attention, all available heroes, be advised. There's an ongoing villain attack on the Kurilu Mall in Jasu district. Back up has been requested by the hero on site.'

And just like that, all her baggage was momentarily forgotten, buried under the guise of the heroine.

"This is Lady Nagant." She replied, pressing a finger to her ear as she dashed out of the alley. "I am nearby and on route."

/

Turns out, she needn't have bothered. She wasn't the only hero to answer the alert, nor the fastest, nor even the most significant.

Imagine her shock when she arrived on scene, to see none other than All Might himself, finishing up a scuffle with the last villain still standing. The number 1 hero truly lived up to his title and reputation, to be answering such a relatively small-time call, and to be dealing with it so swiftly. However much she had come to understand the darkness in hero society, there was no disputing that All Might was very firmly its light. The light that she was, in a way, tasked with keeping pristine…

Despite herself, she couldn't help but hear that kid's words going through her mind. And they kept echoing no matter how much she tried to tell herself that it sounded like a horrible idea, that it couldn't possibly be that easy…

She was struggling with herself so much, that she barely noticed when the fighting was done, and the cleanup begun.

"Oh, hello there!"

…I'm sorry, but did freaking All Might just casually call to her as he approached?!

"You're… Lady Nagant, right?" The number 1 hero of Japan said, as he flashed her his trademark grin.

"You… you have heard of me?" She asked, incredulously, struggling to understand that she wasn't dreaming, as the man replied with his signature laugh.

"Of course! I make it a point to learn to recognize all my colleagues in the area I am currently working at. It pays to make cooperation as seamless as possible when a crisis occurs." The number 1 hero said, and coming from him, Kaina could somehow believe that it was genuine. "And it sure does my heart good to see you responding so swiftly to this robbery. Almost makes me a bit embarrassed to have beat you to the punch, in all honesty."

"Oh no, nononono, no need to apologize." She stated frantically, shocked at the hero's words, at the humility she heard in what others would call arrogance. "What matters is that people are safe and…"

Don't do it. Don't…

"…All Might, would it be alright if… I could have a moment of your time?" She found herself saying, the words escaping her before she could rein them in. "I… I need help."

And something of her distress clearly shone through despite her efforts, because All Might's smile dimmed, clear concern briefly flashing through his face.

"But of course," He said simply. "Let us leave the clean up to the fine officers here, and find a more private place to talk. I feel like the matter needs it."

Next thing she realized, they were on top of a building, half a block away, her ponytail nearly undone by the rushed of air from being carried here by a man who could clear skyscrapers with a jump.

"There, no one'll overhear us up here. What seems to be the matter, Lady Nagant?" The number 1 hero prompted, his words prompting, calm, patient, the words of someone who truly, genuinely just wanted to help.

And suddenly, it was all too much for Kaina. Suddenly, she no longer cared about any consequences. Suddenly, she just needed to let it all out.

Screw it.

So she did, words pouring out as she told him everything. Every bit of dirt she had learned, every "assignment" taken, every villain and corrupt hero removed, and all the mounting guilt and realization that came with it, everything suddenly out in the open at long last.

And with every word she spoke, All Might's smile dimmed, first replaced with shock and horror and by the time she was on the verge of tears, with no more left to say, with a stern look of steely resolve.

Kaina fully expected him to just restrain her and bring her in for arrest there and then, and even if she could've done anything to stop him, she wouldn't have, she simply had no will to…

…So imagine her surprise when instead of treating her like a monster for all that she did, the man simply placed a gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I am so sorry, that you had to go through that." He said, his face still stern, but his words understanding, kind. "You should never have been forced into this. And rest assured, we will make this right."

"…Uh?"

/

Later that night, right on schedule, Kaina was at the office of his highest superior, standing like the professional soldier she had been trained to be in front of none other than the head of the hero comission himself.

"Ah, punctual as always, Nagant. One of the many things I appreciate about it." The man said, his words gentle and fatherly.

"Yes, sir." She replied, standing at attention, and the man nodded approvingly.

"Very well then, I have another assignment for you." He said, reaching for a folder and handing it out to her. "Another undesirable threatens our carefully established balance. He must be removed."

Without a word, she skimmed over the offered data. A villain that had been targeting comission convoys, and stealing money directly from them.

"Do you understand what needs to be done?" The man inquired, always with that fatherly tone.

"I understand that this man has clearly broken the law, and should be brought in for it, but is it truly necessary for me to get involved, Sir? This seems like a matter best left to investigation heroes, like Nighteye."

The man stared at her quietly. He hadn't expected reticence, and she had the feeling he would not tolerate it.

"In most other circumstances, you would be right, but it wouldn't do for such fine heroes to find out about this villain or figure out the information he knows but clearly shouldn't about our operations." He explained, as if he was addressing a child. "In this matter, subtlety and precision are required."

"I see," Kaina replied, seemingly agreeing with the logic. "And if I feel like I am not the appropriate agent for the job, sir?"

"…Then we will find someone who is." The man replied, gracing her with a fatherly smile and gentle tone that did nothing to hide the impatience and menace lying beneath. "But I believe you sell yourself short, Nagant. There'll always be those willing to do what needs to be done, but it'd be… a tragic waste, to let talent like yours go to waste."

For one long moment, Kaina felt a raging hatred of him, this man who had lured her with promises of heroism and lies of duty, but to whom she was nothing but a disposable pawn. In that terrible instant, she felt her arm itch to be used…

…But what she did instead, was smirk.

"Do you think that is enough?" She asked to no one apparent, and her handler blinked in confusion.

Confusion that lasted until the door burst open, and in strode All Might, accompanied by some other heroes and mare than a few policemen.

"Yes." The number 1 hero replied, a steely glare on the head of the hero comission. "More than enough."

Kaina was woman enough to admit, the look on the old bastard's face was nothing short of cathartic.

/

And so it had gone. The ensuing scandal had all but neutered the Hero Commission's unchecked power, enforcing greater government oversight, and forcing them to be held accountable for their actions from that point on.

True, Kaina herself had not gotten away unscathed. She had owned up to her actions, and had done time in prison for them, although with her own good behavior and All Might's support, that time was much shorter than it would've been otherwise, and then she was allowed to continue to do what she had truly desired all along. To help people, the proper way this time.

It wasn't a perfect, fairy tale ending, but in the end, she was saved. All Might had saved her.

But it had been that kid, that kid whose name had slipped her mind with everything that happened after, that had convinced her to call out for saving in the first place.

And now here they were.

Kaina wasn't one to believe in fate or higher powers. But even still, she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. Funny how things lined up, in the end…

"So am I, kid, so am I." She replied, giving him a warm, genuine smile. "Now come along, we got work to do if we're gonna make a hero out of you."

/

I wonder how many people will figure out the Star Wars naming references.

And now at long last, the changes that led to Lady Nagant's different circumstances in this story have revealed. Hope it was worth the years of subtle build up. Imma be honest, when Kaina was first introduced in canon, and her quirk was revealed, my immediate idea was to turn her into a butt-monkey comedic character, one who would have the dubious honor of becoming Izuku's favorite enemy and suffer increasingly and amusingly humiliating scenarios as he kept singling her out, to the point that one planned scenario for later in the fic would be for her to be taking a completely unrelated hit job, catch Izuku waving at her on her scope, and just give up, call the authorities herself and calmly await for them to arrive to apprehend her.

But then her back story was explained in full, and needless to say, that led to some changes (let's not get into how her canon ending feels kinda nonsensical even if her motives are understandable). Lady Nagant has blood on her hands, no mistake, but in my eyes she was never a bad person, so I have tried to give her a better lot in this story without overlooking or handwaving away what she did. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Also, on a completely different note, to the people who have been updating the Tvtropes page of this fic. First of all, you're awsome, and I truly appreciate your efforts. But with that said, there are two things in there that I feel need correcting:

-Izuku's point to Shiozaki about Thirteen during their match was less about how the heroine got her ass handed to her, and more about how DESPITE not being focused on fighting she still took a stand to defend the students. It's less about the actual skill level and more about having the will for it.

-Licky is not a Lictor, but rather a purestrain genestealer.

Anyway, next time, we will get some glimpses on how some of Izuku's colleagues are doing as the internships continue.

Cya all on the next one. Again, I wish you all happy holidays, and a happy new year!